Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Wyoming mayor defends his decision to remove town hall Trump portrait by comparing Trump to Stalin


Jackson Wyoming Mayor Pete Muldoon ruffled some feathers after he took down a portrait of unpopular President Donald Trump last week and replaced it with Chief Washakie, the Shoshone leader of the 1800s. Chief Washakie was a prominent figure in the early history of Wyoming and had the historical distinction of being the only known Native American receive a full military funeral by the United States.
The move has elicited reaction from the political left and right—each taking their predictable sides. Democrats and/or liberals are mostly in favor of the Muldoon’s decision to take Trump down, citing various criticisms of the president. One Facebook user wrote: “Thanks Pete! It’s a little thing but Trump certainly doesn’t deserve that place of honor, in this or any other town.”
Republicans, for the most part, believe the photo swap to be disrespectful to the office. Many in Wyoming living outside of Jackson have pointed to the controversy as a perfect example of why Teton County is often considered an embarrassing part of the Cowboy State.
The move came in tandem with the Jackson town council adopting a resolution in support of the Paris Agreement. With conservatives attacking, Mayor Muldoon sent an email, which has been shared online, to his constituents. Mayor Muldoon explains that he knows that Donald Trump is the president but that there is no law that says presidents must have portraits in local town halls. Mayor Muldoon slowly, and rather masterfully, turns the letter into a civics lesson.
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